


Past, Present, Future

by rafaholic



Category: Tennis RPF
Genre: Fedal - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 05:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20773364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rafaholic/pseuds/rafaholic
Summary: It all seems to be clear for Roger Federer after Laver Cup 2019.





	Past, Present, Future

Match point.  
Sascha almost did it.  
One point, one point and Team Europe will win the Laver Cup for the third year in a row.

Roger took a deep breath. Win in Geneva, at his home, in his Switzerland. Win the tournament that he himself had designed and built with hard work and commitment.  
Win the competition for the third time.  
A dream now very close to being fulfilled.

Raonic serves, Sascha returns.  
Another exchange and Sascha’s forehand gives victory to the Europeans.

Roger met Rafa's eyes, as humid as his own. A few moments and the Spaniard hugged him tightly.

"We did it, Rogi!"

Roger squeezed him a little tighter, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.  
When the hug ended, the Swiss said nothing. He simply smiled.

Why the feeling of that hug had been so intense for him, Roger didn't know and chose not to think about.

*

The relationship between him and Rafa had always been amazing and the past three days had done nothing but strengthen it.  
Having him on his side, even if only for a few days a year, was an incredible experience.  
Rafael Nadal is a formidable opponent but having him on his team would be a dream for any player, even the most valuable.  
Roger knew perfectly well that without Rafa, nothing the blue team had achieved and accomplished in those three days would have been possible.  
And this would have been enough to be happy for having had him in the team, but Roger could not avoid thinking of all the other little things that had been the backdrop of that experience, those little things that weren’t related to tennis.  
He thought back to the smiles in training, to the constant looking at each other, at the way Rafa had tried to cheer him up after the defeat in the double. He thought back to the missed high fives and the uncontrolled laughter after the jokes he made.  
And at that moment, at 2 am, in his hotel room, Roger realized how much he would miss the Spaniard in the following days.  
Before he could think twice, driven by this thought and probably also by the too much alcohol he drank during the winner’s party, Roger put on a clean T-shirt and left his room.

A few minutes after a slight knock on his door, made Rafa frowning.  
The Spaniard was already ready to go to sleep, it was very late, and the next morning he would have to take the plane early to return to his beloved Mallorca.

When Rafa opened the door, dressed in only a pair of shorts, his confused expression made Roger doubt that he had made the right choice.

"Roger, hi ... is everything okay?"

"Raf ... um ... yes, can I ... can I come in?"

Rafa nodded and opened the door a little more to let his unexpected visitor pass.  
Roger immediately set his eyes on the small blue suitcase, in a corner of the room, ready for the next day and the same feeling that had prompted him to appear there in the middle of the night, caught Roger again in the chest.  
The Swiss breathed deeply trying to get rid of the thought and turned to Rafa.

"Rogi, are you sure you're okay?", asked the younger one, worried by his strange behavior.

"Yes, it's just ..."

Roger stopped and then approached a few steps until he was a few inches from the Spaniard.

"It's just that I think I'll miss you," he finally said looking into his eyes.  
He was so close that he could clearly feel the moment when Rafa's breath seemed to break for a second.  
But Rafa regained quickly his composure.

"I'll miss you too, no? It was fun to coach the little ones. Tennis is more fun if-

"No Raf. I'm saying I'll miss you. I will miss you ... really... a lot... "

Without even finishing the sentence, in a few moments, Roger had canceled the distance between them and now he was kissing Rafa as if it were the simplest and most natural thing in the world.  
The Spaniard remained still for a moment, still confused and surprised by Roger's sudden gesture.  
But after a few seconds, he sweetly returned the kiss, letting the Swiss hug him and tightening his strong arms around his waist.  
After a few minutes they parted and joined their foreheads.  
Roger searched in Rafa's eyes for an afterthought, but all he saw was a reflection of the same emotions he was feeling.  
He couldn't help smiling, while Rafa gently stroked his neck.

"It was..."

"Yeah."

The Spaniard smiled with him and leaned in to kiss Roger a second time, as if to make sure it really happened.

"Thanks Raf. This Laver Cup would not have been the same without you. ”, said Roger without ever taking his forehead off Rafa’s and caressing his cheek.

"You would have won anyway, no? I wasn't even able to play the last matches. Sorry Rogi, I really wanted to play double with you but my stupid hand ... I didn't want to disappoint you, I ... "

"Shut up, you fool," Roger interrupted, then kissed him again, getting lost in that new and strangely familiar sensation. It almost seemed like they had always done it.

"You were amazing. And no, we wouldn't have won without you. "

Rafa held him tight. Another hug. Like the one from a few hours earlier but more beautiful, because now Roger was aware of what it really meant.

"I waited for you for so long ...", the Spaniard whispered suddenly.  
These words prompted Roger to loosen the embrace and move away slightly, only to be able to look Rafa in the eye.

"What ..?"

"Rogi ... really you no know ...? I loved you for so long ... "

"You loved me?"

"I did. I thought it was very very clear", he said lowering his gaze and blushing violently. 

Roger took Rafa's face in his hands, and lifted his chin to make him really look into his own eyes.

"I didn’t know. And I didn't know that ... ", he stopped for a moment but started again immediately, tightening his grip on Rafa.  
"And I didn't know I loved you too."

Rafa shuddered.

"You loved me? In the past?"

Roger smiled.

"In the past, the present and the future."

The Spaniard barely waited for him to finish the sentence and kissed him again, with all he had.  
When they parted, after an interminable time, their eyes were bright with emotion.

Rafa looked Roger in the eyes and stroked his cheek.

"Can you stay here tonight?"

"I can."

**Author's Note:**

> Just a one shot but I kind of like it. Make me know if you like it too. Love. ❤️


End file.
